external image IwoJima3m.jpg
Forces:
Americans, Japanese


Comanders:

American:
Admiral Raymond Spruance
Lieutenant-General Holland ‘Howling Mad’ Smith

Japan:
Lieutenant-General Kuribayashi

importance: there where two airstrips on the island, and it was 650 miles from japan

D-Day: February 19th, 1945


Figures:

Size of the island: 4.5 X 2.5 Miles

Troops:
American: 110,000 Marines
Japanese:22,000

Caualties:
U.S.:6,891 Marines KIA 18,070 WIA
Japan:of the 22,000 soldiers, 212 surrenderd, everyone else was killed

Other:
Japanese soldiers had a considerable amount of time to build defense fortifications on the island, resistance was strong on the beachheads, and even stronger in the northen region of the island. By March 11th, the Japanese were trapped in an area around Kitano Point, the island’s most northerly extremity. By March 16th, the island was declared secure and all resistance had ceased by March 26th. The 28th Regiment of the 5th Marine Division took Mount Suribachi at 1030 on Febuary 23, there a U.S. flag was raised, and a famous picture taken, however the battle was not yet over, oftentimes, marines only managed to take a few hundred yards of ground each day. By March 11th, the Japanese were trapped in an area around Kitano Point, the island’s most northerly extremity. By March 16th, the island was declared secure and all resistance had ceased by March 26th. it had taken over a full month to take the island of Iwo Jima.

external image iwo+jima.jpg
The Flag raisers:
Mike Strank-KIA on iwo Jima
Harlon Block-KIA on Iwo Jima
Franklin Sousley-KIA on Iwo Jima
Ira Hayes
Rene Gagnon
John Bradley -the navy corpsman